While the state court system saw an influx in civil cases last year, the number of personal injury or liability cases actually declined.

The findings are in a new study, and Paul Gagliardi of the Wisconsin Association for Justice that's not something that advocates for tort reform would have you believe. He says foreclosures and bankruptcies are behind the overall increase.

Gagliardi says when someone receives a settlement or an award in a personal injury or wrongful death case, it doesn't remedy the loss a family suffers.

State court figures show personal injury cases account for just over five percent of all filings. Real estate and contract now account for 40 percent.